In something of a first, Google has launched a new AI application for books that publishers seem to actually like, thanks to its apparent respect for copyright protections.
Today, the company introduced Expert Intelligence (EI), a feature that allows someone reading an e-book purchased on Google Play’s e-bookstore to interact with the title—by asking questions about the book, taking a quiz after reading it, or producing an infographic of key data—through Google’s AI research tool, Gemini Notebook (formerly Notebook LM).
Unlike the majority of LLMs, which also allow users to ask questions about a book, Google is working directly with publishers to isolate the information given to the user, guaranteeing it is coming directly from the book, instead of being aggregated from the LLM’s training data.
The new cooperation between Google and publishers comes as publishers and authors filed a lawsuit in Julycontending that the tech giant has engaged in widespread copyright infringement in developing its Gemini AI models.
EI launching with more than 100,000 English-language books, mostly nonfiction trade titles, from publishers including Bloomsbury, De Gruyter Brill, Johns Hopkins University Press, Macmillan, O’Reilly Media and Penguin Random House. EI is limited to titles purchased through Google Play Books.
The new application was developed by nonfiction author Stephen Johnson, who joined Google Labs in July 2022 to help build an AI research tool for writers. The tool’s main feature is the ability for users to ask questions of the book they are reading; answers can come in the form of direct quotes from the book or as an AI-generated synthesis, Johnson said during a demo. Users can also use EI to generate slide decks.
Johnson said the feature could soon expand beyond nonfiction trade titles to include textbooks, and eventually, academic journals, self-published books, and more. International use of the tool depends on regional contract terms, and whether authors need to opt in or out of the EI program depends on their contracts with their individual publishers.
Initial reaction from publishers and the Authors Guild centered around the fact Google built a program that respects copyright.
Nihar Malaviya, CEO of PRH, said in a statement that EI “is an example of how AI use cases can be developed responsibly.” He commended Google’s commitment to building copyright protections and transparent attribution into the experience.
“Requiring readers to purchase a book before they can use Gemini Notebook’s AI features to engage with that work recognizes the value of books while putting meaningful guardrails around how copyrighted content is used,” Malaviya said.
Authors Guild CEO Mary Rasenberger agreed with Malaviya that EI “is a positive step forward in the legitimized use of books in the AI ecosystem to the benefit of readers, publishers and authors alike.”
She added that without knowing the details of the deals between Google and publishers, she is nevertheless hopeful that “these kinds of arrangements should open up new audiences for books,” allowing for ongoing interaction between readers and the books they love “while ensuring authors and publishers retain control.”
Other publishers saw EI as a way to learn about how AI can help raise the visibility of their books and authors. Sabrina McCarthy, president of Bloomsbury US, said that the publisher “is committed to gaining experience with new forms of AI discovery to drive visibility and sales for our authors’ works.”
To market the launch, Google will be giving away free e-books, with codes for one free title sent to select individuals. According to the company, “the book promotion is a limited-time offer (while supplies last) for select books to showcase Expert’s Intelligence capabilities for people in the U.S.”
The titles included in the giveaway are The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, Breath by James Nestor, The Sense of Style by Steven Pinker, Food Rules by Michael Pollan, and Hit Makers by Derek Thompson.
Another title in the giveaway is Kim Scott’s 2017 management book Radical Candor.Scott took part in a demo shown to PW,during which she said she believes EI will improve engagement with her books and offers a more efficient way for readers to find the answers and passage they’re looking for without a manual search.
